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World Bank, IMF Call for Debt Relief for Poor Countries to Stem Covid-19

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  • By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

  • T
    he World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, Friday, urged official bilateral creditors to provide immediate debt relief to the poorest countries facing COVID-19. 
  • This, the World Bank group and other international creditors believed would enable these 56 poor nations to prioritize their spending to curtailing the spread of the novel Coronavirus otherwise called Covid-19.
  • World Bank Group President, David Malpass who joined the G20 Virtual Leaders Summit Friday, morning to highlight ongoing World Bank Group efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, said a final decision would be taken in April during the Spring meetings in Washington DC, United States.
  • “We have new COVID-related projects underway in 56 countries and we’re encouraging other MDBs to co-finance follow-up tranches,” said Malpass. “In 24 countries, we’re restructuring existing projects in order to direct funds to the health emergency,” the World Bank President said.
  • He added that private sector support is critical. “IFC, our private sector arm, is already working on new investments in 300 companies and extending trade finance and working capital lines to clients.Malpass said: “The World Bank Group has worked to take broad swift action to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. 
  • On March 17, our Board approved a $14 billion package, focused on the immediate health and social consequences of the outbreak. “We’re now finalizing an additional package that will focus on the broader economic consequences.
  • “The goals are to shorten the time to recovery; create conditions for growth; support small and medium enterprises; and help protect the poor and vulnerable. Yesterday, I presented to our Board a program that could provide as much as $160 billion in financial support over the next 15 months.  “As I was speaking, the crisis hit very close to home with the news that a former U.S. Executive Director Carole Brookins had just died of coronavirus. I’m particularly concerned about poor, densely populated countries such as India, where weak health systems need massively scalable investments in human capital, supplies and infrastructure. We are working hard to provide support through our public and private sector tools.“We have new COVID-related projects underway in 56 countries, and we’re encouraging other MDBs to co-finance follow-up tranches. In 24 countries, we’re restructuring existing projects in order to direct funds to the health emergency.  Private sector support is critical.  IFC, our private sector arm, is already working on new investments in 300 companies and extending trade finance and working capital lines to clients.“Regarding the proposals by some members, we can support the call for more funding for CEPI to finance vaccine development.“International cooperation is critical in these times. We’ve been working closely with the IMF and WHO, among others, to determine needs assessments of client countries. 
  • “The IMF Managing Director and I have convened heads of MDBs twice to discuss each institution’s response, specific opportunities for co-financing, procurement, and debt reduction. We’ll continue to push forward with the strongest possible international effort. Lastly, I want to highlight the importance of addressing debt vulnerabilities.
  • This crisis will hit hardest poor countries that have high levels of indebtedness. A broad and equitable debt relief process is urgently needed, so IDA countries can concentrate their resources on fighting the pandemic and its economic and social consequences.
  • “On Tuesday night, Kristalina Georgieva and I issued a joint IMF/WB call for debt relief in IDA countries. We urged many of you and other official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments due from IDA countries, effective immediately. This would allow time to assess the crisis’ impact and financing needs for each IDA country, and to determine what kind of debt relief or restructuring is needed.
  • The World Bank Group and the IMF are working quickly to flesh out an approach for Debt Relief for Poorer Countries. We will present it to our Governors for endorsement by the Spring Meetings of our organizations in April and would welcome your strong support.”

Economy

CBN’s Cybersecurity Levy Ill-timed, Negates Financial Inclusion – Expert

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CBN Governor,  Yemi Cardoso A financial expert, Prof. Uche Uwaleke says the newly introduced 0.5 per cent charges on electronic transactions as cybersecurity levy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is ill-timed.

Uwaleke, a professor of capital market and the president of the Capital Market Academics of Nigeria, said this in an interview on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to him, the cybersecurity levy is ill-timed, coming at a time when the CBN is concerned about the high rate of financial exclusion and the increasing rate of currency circulating outside the banks.

He said that it carried the downside risk of discouraging financial intermediation as well as complicating the transmission of monetary policy with more people shunning the banks due to high charges.

“The end result is that it makes difficult effort by the CBN to tame inflation.

“So, I think the circular should be withdrawn, especially against the backdrop of assurances by the government that its plan to increase revenue would not include introducing new taxes or increasing tax rates.

“To this end, the government should suspend the policy while getting set to implement the recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms,” he said.

He said that the mandate of the committee included streamlining multiple taxes and levies currently inhibiting the growth of businesses in Nigeria.

NAN reports that the CBN had on Monday directed all banks to commence charging a 0.5 per cent cybersecurity levy on all electronic transactions within the country.

The direcve was contained in a circular jointly signed by the Director, Payments System Management Department, Chibuzo Efobi; and the Director, Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa.

The circular was directed to all commercial banks, merchant banks, non-interest banks, and payment service banks.

It announced that the implementation of the levy would start two weeks from May 6.

“The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution.

“The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy,’” the circular said.

However, some 16 banking transactions were exempted from the new cybersecurity levy.

They include loan disbursements and repayments, salary payments, intra-account transfers within the same bank or between different banks for the same customer, intra-bank transfers between customers of the same bank among others.

By the calculations of the new levy, five Naira will be charged on a transaction of N1,000, while N50 will be charged on a transaction of N10,000.

Others are N500 charge on a transaction of N100,000, N5,000 charge on a transaction of N1,000,000, and N50,000 charge on a transaction of N10,000,000.

The cybersecurity levy will now be added to already existing bank charges like transfer fee, stamp duty, charges on SMS, and Vat .(NAN)

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Economy

Trading on NGX Increases by 28%, Investors Gain N467bn

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The Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) on Friday recorded 28.14 per cent increase in the value of equity transactions, resulting in investors gaining N467 billion.

Specifically, 446.57 million shares valued at N7.10 billion were exchanged in 9,297 deals, in contrast to 665.20 million shares valued at N5.

54 billion in 8,446 deals on Thursday.

Consequently, the market capitalisation, which opened at N55.

856 trillion, gained 0.
83 per cent or N467 billion to close at N56.323 trillion.

The All-Share Index also added 0.83 per cent or 825 points to close at 99,587.25, as against 98,762.78 recorded in the previous session.

As a result, the Year-To-Date (YTD) return rose to 33.

18 per cent.

Renewed interest in MTN Nigeria, alongside Tier-one banks, Presco Plc, UACN, United Capital, among other leading stocks, sustained the market’s positive trend.

Also, market breadth closed positive with 27 advanced equities outnumbering 20 declined ones.

On the gainers’ chart, Presco led by N22.90 to close at N252.80, Dangote Sugar followed closely by N4.25 to close at N47, while Ellah Lakes Plc gained 30k to close at N3.32 per share.

Jaiz Bank also advanced by 21k to close at N2.35 and Flour Mill rose by N3.25 to close at N36.80 per share.

Conversely, Conoil and Tantalizers led the losers chart by N10.80 and 4k each to close at N97.20 and 36k per share, respectively.

McNichols Plc lost 12k to close at N1.14, Linkage Assurance trailed by 9k to close at 86k and Guinea Insurance shed 3k to close at 30k per share.

Meanwhile, Access Corporation led the activity chart in volume and value with 151.80 million shares worth N2.68 billion, followed by Veritas Kapital with 49.88 million valued at N30.91 million.

United Bank of Africa(UBA) traded 32.89 million worth N845.74 million, Universal Insurance sold 27.14 million shares valued at N9.76 million and Transnational Corporation transacted 21.82 million share worth N310.32 million. (NAN)

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Economy

NDIC Increases Maximum Deposit Insurance Coverage for Failed Banks

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The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), has reviewed upward the maximum deposit insurance coverage for depositors of all licenced deposit taking financial institutions in event of bank failure. Reports says that deposit insurance is the government’s guarantee that an account holder’s money at an insured bank is safe up to a certain amount.

The Managing Director of NDIC, Mr Bello Hassan, told newsmen in Abuja that the deposit insurance coverage level for Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) were reviewed from N500,000 to five million naira.

Bello said on Thursday, that the insurance coverage for Micro-finance Banks (MFBs) had been increased from N200,000 to two million Naira, which would provide 99.

27 per cent coverage of total depositors.

He said that Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs) were increased from N500,000 to two million naira with full coverage of 99.34 et cent compared with the current 97.98 per cent.

For subscribers of Mobile Money Operators (MMOs), he said that the deposit insurance coverage had increased from N500,000 to five million per subscriber, per MMO.

Bello said the Payment Service Banks (PSBs) insurance coverage had also increased from N500,000 to two million naira.

He said the adoption of the revised maximum deposit insurance coverage would be supported by the Corporation’s funding, represented by the balances in the various Deposit Insurance Funds (DIFs) and expected annual premium collection.

Other support would be enhanced supervision to reduce the likelihood of bank failures, effective bank resolution frameworks and other funding arrangements provided by the NDIC Act.

Bello said that factors considered in the upward review of the coverage level were deposit distribution, impact of inflation, per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), exchange rate and other statistical models.

”NDIC’s mandate of Deposit Guarantee is a critical component of depositors’ protection, as it guarantees the payment of deposits up to a maximum set limit in the event of bank failure.

”The deposit guarantee, covers depositors of all deposit taking financial institutions licenced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , which include DMBs, MFBs, PMBs, Non-Interest Banks (NIBS), Payment Service Banks (PSBs) and subscribers of MMOs.

”We need to stress that the high level of uninsured deposits posed a risk of bank runs.

”This is in line with our commitment to enhancing depositors’ protection, public confidence, financial inclusion, and stability of the financial system.

“I am pleased to announce that the NDIC’s Interim Management Committee (IMC), approved an increase in the maximum deposit insurance coverage levels for all licenced deposit taking financial institutions.

”The revised deposit insurance coverage has balanced the NDIC’s goals of deposit protection and financial system stability with incentives for depositors to practice market discipline and prevent banks from unnecessary risk-taking and moral hazard.

”Consideration was given to ensure that the coverage was limited but adequate enough to protect a large number of depositors,” he said.

The managing director reaffirmed the Corporation’s commitment to protecting depositors and contributing to the stability of the financial system. (NAN)

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